Much more than a search box, the sneaky Wolfram Alpha dialog box doesn't look any different than any other search engine -- but wow, what's under the hood is incredible in its power and ease of use and ability to customize.

I think the best starting point to explore is the page of example Wolfram Alpha queries (entries into the Wolfram Alpha search box). You can see in only a short period of exploring that Wolfram Alpha is different.

Even if you just used it as a calculator it would blow away any calculator you have ever used. But it offers a lot more than any calculator. Keep it open on your desktop and use it to explore your homework problems in greater depth and to really teach yourself any topic. If even has a "show me step-by-step" output so you can see how the calculation was made or equation solved. Use integrity when doing your homework. Do the work yourself, use the power of your tools to learn. With great power comes great responsibility.

Next is watching a short video that demonstrates how to build your own widget which is a custom application (app) that you can build in minutes using just point and click. You can then publish your widget for others to use or simply link to your published widget which is stored on WolframAlpha's computers. Very, very cool.

Now you should be ready to create a WolframAlpha account so you can begin to make your own Widgets. The signin page is the same page as the one that has the link to the video you just watched. The registration is free as is everything associated with WolframAlpha..

Step 5 Build: Build you own widgets. If you need help, bring a Tutor Ticket and you can work on this after school or on Saturday on the classroom computer terminal in the back of the classroom. Or use the Internet access at the Blountsville or Oneonta Libraries. Use initiative!